BabysBday

There are also clamshells on the first beach, close to the vendors, the Patron bar and the tender dock. Lots of folks were snorkeling further out in the waters there near the rocks and there is even an additional lifeguard out on the rock jetty to keep an eye on them.

Yes, they have the ropes course open on some nights. We went on them on the Nassau Day (Thursday) at night. It was a little windy so the starboard half was closed. They also did not have them open at all on Fri/Sat, so don't hold off if you want to go on them.

I second this advice. We didn't get to the ropes course in time on Thursday afternoon after our excursion and had plans that night. We were already queued up for it on Friday at noon when the rains and wind came and they shut it down. :(

The spa area on the Epic is open to a public area where smoking is allowed?! Yipes.

And there is a private, Haven-only fitness center and spa area with both a sauna and steam room on the Epic? Nice! That probably eliminates the need for a spa pass then. I didn't get the spa pass last week while on the BA and despite getting three treatments :halo:, I did miss using the steam room. The BA Haven courtyard has a sauna and two treatment rooms, but because they were basically in the rear of the courtyard, I could hear some of the kids at times during the one treatment I had there. And the staff was pretty good about keeping one of the two hot tubs, which was clearly labeled adults only, kid-free. We weren't overrun with kids in the Haven complex, regardless.

Sounds as if the Haven common areas on the Epic are larger than on the BA. That might just be the clincher ;)

Thanks for everyone's feedback! It's much appreciated.

Just off Epic. In Haven Owner's Suite. We had spa passes. Won't next time. It was so crowded in comparison to the Haven complex.

 

I had my first massage in the spa in the "floating bed". That is my very favorite treatment. And I was in there on a port day, so that was nice. The rest of the time it was nearly impossible to snag a heated tile lounger or a recliner/daybed on the aft in the open air area. There were just too many people who went there for all-afternoon naps.

 

Once I "discovered" the fitness center/spa in the Haven On 17, almost across the hall, I worked out and had treatments there.

 

With the Haven pool area, posh, haven grill area, my balcony and my huge tub I really felt relaxed.

 

The spa could be loud and the smokers below the open area made it "less than".

 

The pool area was VERY windy in the late afternoon and the evenings. So few people used the pool, but the 2 hot tubs had some takers.

 

I was prepared to not love the Epic. As my favorite ship was and is The Sun. But I was really impressed by how much we did love this cruise.

 

 

 

 

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We arrive at 1pm in May. I believe 4 ships in port. Is it worth going to the Hilton for a few hours? Are there time restrictions with their day pass? Also considering ship excursion to Blue Lagoon as an alternative. We are in Nassau until midnight.

Unless you are doing a dolphin excursion on blue lagoon, I wouldn't recommend the beach day. Granted we only saw the strip of beach facing the tender/ferry dock, but they were not very impressive, IMO. Maybe there were better locations.

Great info BabysBday, thanks! Hope waves/wind cooperate for us!:)

Fingers crossed! Be sure to book your clamshell as soon as you get on ship, and the parasailing excusrsion as soon as it is available on the NCL website if you are interested in it. The parasailing was sold out for both the morning and afternoon sessions by the time we got on the BA. Oh and because they have two sessions for the activities you can book two different ones in a day depending on the timing.

The morning session parasailing and kayaking weren't cancelled, and we all got refunds for the afternoon activities that ended up being cancelled due to the windy conditions.

Enjoy your upcoming cruise :cool:

One thing the Haven Epic does have is the Courtyard Grill. It is off the pool and attached to the Epic Haven restaurant. It is indoors, but the windows are all open (with slats if I remember correctly), so you do get some outdoor air while still being protected.

 

There is a bar there, along with tables for eating and comfy chairs for relaxing.

 

Not the same as a roof over the courtyard, but it can be a substitute if needed.

Thanks for the tip! The Epic's Haven lounge area also looks a bit larger than the Breakaway's and with the two bar areas, seems like adequate space indoors away from the crowds. Might have to get a spa pass for the cruise, to guarantee a place to warm up.

It's open on the Epic.

 

For the record:

Epic & Getaway : No roof

 

Breakaway, Escape , Joy , Jewel , Jade , Gem , Pearl : Retractable Roof

Thanks!!

Hi - We're just off the Breakaway and loved the Haven experience so much we're already looking at the Epic for this fall.

Quick question, does the Haven courtyard have a roof like the one on the Breakaway? Having that "solarium"-type area was wonderful in the cooler weather and would preferable for an end of October Mediterranean sailing.

FWIW, We just got off the Breakaway on Sunday and our cruise did the GSC stop. The winds picked up midday so our afternoon kayak excursion as well as the parasailing one were cancelled. Otherwise, the weather, beach and water were great, despite being a bit rocky at the waters edge. This was the only time on the cruise when I got to do any proper swimming so despite no kayaking, we were happy with this port stop.

For those who aren't familiar with GSC, there are clamshells available at the first beach, near the vendors and the tender dock.

We had a slight SNAFU as someone on staff stationed near the excursions tent had informed us that the clamshell area was further down the beach, and so another staff member ended up pushing one of our party who is older and has mobility issues in a beach wheelchair all the way to the far end of the island, away from all the food and entertainment. The other senior in our party had to walk the entire way and it was a long hike for her. I was livid and asked to speak to a manager after being told that clamshells should've been available at the first beach. We got off the tender just after eleven am so it wasn't as if the beaches were packed at that point. A manager arrived finally and straightened everything out, giving the seniors in our group a lift back to the first beach on their little utility vehicle and an extra clamshell for our trouble.

we are considering doing the blue lagoon dolphin encounter.

I may have asked this before(senior moment),but we were curious as to how much photos and videos of our experience cost

Just returned from our cruise and loved this excursion. We did the swim, though, so I don't know if the video is cheaper for the encounter. The photos were about $10 each, but got cheaper as you purchased more, and we ended up doing the total package for $177+ tax for the USB jump drive for all of our pictures and the video.

May I ask what you bid? Or at least the range?

We were on the low end of "fair", bordering on "poor". Wasn't a steal by any means, but still a discount from what we would've paid had we booked it outright. The convenience alone was well worth the price tag. Pricing out Haven 2BR on the Epic for this Fall right now... we're hooked. :')

Good luck with the bidding!

Can you tell me about hiring a porter. We are not in the Haven. I am curious about what services a porter provides and the cost. Thank you!

Unfortunately, we didn't hire a porter so I can't say how much they cost (other posters have mentioned using them in other threads, though, so I'm sure the info is out there). They help you collect your luggage like at the airport and then speed you through a separate (and much shorter/quicker) line through US customs. And then I believe they take your luggage all the way to the street exit of the cruise terminal (we wheeled our own luggage at this point).

Hope you are correct

We just got off the Breakaway on Sunday and stayed in an "upgrade advantage" Haven 2BR. We kept the original UDP and UBP perks for the first two passengers that were included in our original balcony booking. We didn't receive the additional perks that you would get had we booked the Haven cabins in the first place.

I say get the Tomahawk Chop...one of the best steaks I have ever had.

The Tomahawk Chop is no longer on the Cagney's menu on the Breakaway as of the March 5, 2017 sailing. :( I had to "settle" for the ribeye. ;)

Cagney's was definitely the best specialty dining meal we had last week. The mussels appetizer at the Le Bistro was probably the best dish, and the creme brûlées at both restaurants were excellent.

Oh and for anyone interested, the upcharge inclusive of service charge for a JW Blue neat with the UBP is $5 & change. :halo:

We did carry our own luggage. Sorry, I don't know if they put the Haven luggage in a separate area. Perhaps someone else will chime in and tell us.

We didn't carry our own luggage and yes the Haven luggage was in a "priority" section closest to the US customs lines.

Thank you for the very nice review. I was thinking of all of you getting off this AM in the unseasonably cold temperatures.

Please tell me if you carried your own luggage or if not, were the pieces in a separate area for easy retrieval. My husband is handicapped and trying to find our luggage and a porter is a burden for him. Thank you for any suggestions.

We were on the same cruise as well as in the Haven as the thread starter was, so we had priority disembarkation and bypassed all the long self disembark (i.e. those carrying their own luggage off the ship) passenger lines in the frigid weather. We met Anoop at the Haven concierge desk at 9:15am and were outside of the cruise terminal by 9:50am (and it only took that long because our party included some seniors who are slow walkers).

However, any passengers (Haven or non-Haven) who had requested wheelchair assistance off of the Breakaway and their companions were also able to bypass the lines just like the Haven folks to the luggage retrieval areas. And once you were in the luggage retrieval area, if you hired a porter you were also able to bypass the lines for US customs regardless of whether you had wheelchair assistance or were a Haven passenger.

Congratulations! That's exciting.

 

When is your cruise? I'm trying to gauge the time a bid is usually accepted.

This weekend

Woo-hoo... our upgrade advantage bid just got accepted!

Details (for what it's worth): H4 on the Breakaway for $1360 pp. We submitted the bid this morning after seeing haven cabins available on the cruisesonly website (our sailing had been sold out for a while). Our total bid was less than half of what we would've had to additionally pay based on the total cost of our original cabin and what it was listed for today. The bid was just on the borderline of "fair".

On a different note, we'd submitted minimum bids several weeks ago for the Haven forward and courtyard penthouses.

So long story, long. Not necessarily a steal, but nice splurge at a slight discount.

This sounds like a silly question, but do all bars on the Breakaway serve frozen cocktails (e.g. pina coladas, daiquiris, margaritas), or only some bars? Asking for a different friend :wink:

Not really doing a review, but I'm happy to answer questions.

 

I will say this: two years ago I sailed the breakaway for my first cruise ever. Now this one was my 8th cruise: I made different choices that helped make this a more enjoyable experience:

1. I didn't get off the ship-- port canaveral was a zoo, since we didn't arrive until 1pm so there was a mad rush. It took three hours at GSC to get the tenders over-- and the weather was lousy so I passed.

2. I avoided the chaos of the buffet-- lunches in dining room or o'shehans. Those wings are awesome!!

3. I was traveling solo, so I made sure to spend much of my time in the adults only Spice H2O.

Others that I met felt that the ship was crowded and overrun with kids-- I didn't feel that way. And I just read a review that "everyone had a hacking cough" and illness was everywhere-- not anywhere that I was. I know one person that was sick. But it's flu season, and I find it much worse taking the subway in NYC-- the staff was pretty awesome, and any small issue that I had was handled quickly and efficiently.

I would definitely recommend this ship!

 

 

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Glad you enjoyed your trip! Any other highlights or can't miss things from your cruise you'd like to share? ;)

We're travelling as a group, but I've already booked a spa pass to ensure I'll have some quiet, private time. We'll also be parked in Spice once we're in warmer waters.

Also solo? Good for you! Did you book one of the solo cabins? Would you recommend it? I have a tennis pal who didn't enjoy cruising solo, but it sounded as though maybe her ship didn't have the studio complex and a facilitator to help arrange group dinners, etc. She can be a bit of a pill, though, so I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't more about her than the cruise itself, LOL.

Here are some menus on the breakaway. I did hear that the upcharges on the complementary restaurants are going away.

 

 

 

 

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Thanks for the menus! Hope you post a review of your trip... we're leaving on the BA very soon and would love to hear your feedback :)

lol it's not an act...many of these people are on their 1st trip out of the USA. Many are dragging spouses kicking and screaming. The husbands are more than willing to announce that "the" wife dragged him on the cruise...

 

Many overpaid big time because they don't understand cruise pricing

 

Many will walk off the ship with $2000 bills because they think they are supposed to buy bingo cards and tons of photos

 

So yes it's a less than savvy group cruising in August...doesn't make them bad people just makes them uninformed and therefore somewhat difficult to be near.

 

They won't hurt you though so don't worry

 

 

Have you ever taken a cruise out of NYC in August?

 

Are you familiar with the demographic that waits until the very end of the summer to cruise?

 

Are you aware that college kids go back to campus mid August?

 

And high school athletes are in the fields from early August?

 

Those families are NOT cruising in August

 

 

 

 

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I've never cruised in August, so I'll have to take your word for it. I'm not sure why families with college students or high school athletes would necessarily be savvier cruisers just because their summer vacation schedule precludes them from cruising in August. It sounds as if you're not a fan of families with younger kids who are constrained to travelling during school holidays, and have to pay up for booking during high season. I don't quite know why August would be any worse than June, July or winter/spring break in that respect, though, or NYC departures versus any other port departure in August.

The thread starter is currently on the Breakaway and I'm sure the ship is filled with families with kids on their mid-winter school break. They don't appear to be fazed by it.

Trust me the majority of August NYC cruisers are not savvy frequent cruisers

 

Doesn't make them bad people by any means...although posters will take it that way...they are nice for the most part ...as are most if not all New Yorkers....it's just that many are out of their comfort zones and will have difficulty coping...therefore will complain and not really understand the nuances of cruising

Not savvy, out of their comfort zones, difficulty coping... while travelling on a cruise?! :confused: You act as if these people are on their first trip out of the US and have landed in a foreign country where they know no one and don't speak the language. :')

Just have a couple and you won't care... :cool:

That's what I'm afraid of :halo:

To my point. They would not open a bottle to serve one glass.

If Le Bistro still offers the tasting glass of Veuve for $9 on its menu, they probably assume more than one person will order it each evening and won't be forced to open a bottle to serve one glass.